More questions on choosing oil-base or latex-base primers and paint…?

i live on the top floor of a 3-story apartment building that was built in 1982… the apartment building is all concrete construction, including the flat roof top which is also made of poured concrete. My apartment has popcorn ceiling (below the concrete roof top) that i am planning to remove due to some minor leak stains showing on the ceiling. I am planning to use latex paint on my new ceiling after the popcorn has been removed. A contractor friend tells me to use an oil-based primer on the ceiling to prevent future leak stains showing through the latex paint. But a painter friend tells me that a good quality latex primer is better for the ceiling job because it is more compatible with the latex paint i will be applying. What is the recommended primer for my once in awhile leaking concrete ceiling? Thank you in advance.

First, no primer will stop the leaking. If you want something that will stop minor moisture seepage, you will need to first coat with DryLok. They sell and oil-based and a water based version. However, I am a big believer in the original is always the best.

DryLok will have a gritty quality to it, and is VERY heavy. Application of DryLok is not fun. I hope, if you decide to do it, that you have strong wrists. I used DryLok on my basement walls and tried to cheat by rolling it. Per the can, you can roll the second coat, but not the first. They were right. To get a good, solid coat of DryLok use a wide brush and apply in a circular motion. Also, since you will be working over your head, invest in one of those spraying hoods. It will fall.

If you are certain that the leaks have been fixed and you are only trying to block the stains, that will be sufficient with primer only. I am of the mind that there is only one primer on the market. Only one primer worth using. Original, run of the mill, oil-based Kilz. It is inexpensive and does a wonderful job. To block stains, you will need to apply more than one coat.

Once you do either of these – if you DryLok you don’t need to prime as well – water based paint will go over either. I have never been a fan of latex and much prefer acrylic. Just a suggestion, I’m not doing the painting or paying for it, so…..

As for the paint v. primer argument Friend2 introduced he/she is incorrect. Paint on paint applications he is entirely correct. You cannot apply a water-based paint over an oil-based paint without first priming with a oil-based primer. The water-based will not adhere to the oil-based. However, primers are made, purposely, with much lower alkine levels so the water-based paints will adhere. They do this because they are trying to encourage people to discontinue use of oil-based paints. They are terrible for the environment.

*Footnote: I use the term oil-based lightly. There have not been oil-based paints on the market since 1997, they are illegal. All now are alkyd-based.

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